Chapter 30
“Oh my god…” Frank watched as the man made the sign of the cross before walking into the room, and it was in that moment Frank thought he had never been so desperate. He needed to know what happened.
“Karen!!!”
It was the last thing he said before passing out- the last thought he had before the black took over and all he saw were the hauntingly beautiful blue eyes from his dreams before there was nothing.
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“Hey- Frank, c’mon….” The voice was familiar, and yet sounded so strange- like the voice was coming from deep underwater.
Frank’s arms burned, the tingles you feel after your foot falls asleep- but instead from your shoulder blades all the way through to his fingertips. He couldn't tell you how his hands had landed in his lap, but here they were- it was strange because he could see them and yet felt like he had no control over how to move them on his own. Frank felt like a machine that had been used and abused over and over, up to the point where his wires crossed and a few came undone- the wire that connected his brain to ihs arms was suddenly disconnected.
“You up, Frank?”
David?
What the fuck is he doing here?
“Da-” Frank tried his hardest to get the name out, but he couldn't. His throat was so dry and his lips so cracked, he thought he must have been left here for days before they found him.
And like he could read his thoughts a hand holding a bottle of water appeared in front of his eyes- greedily he moved his hands toward it. His fingers wrapped themselves around the bottle- and it was there one minute gone the next.
Fuck.
He couldn't even get his fingers to hold the bottle- God dammit what was wrong with him? Frank wasn't sure but the curse must have left his lips because the moment it left his hands David moved to catch it.
It didn't work- unfortunately Micro didn't have the same reflexes the Devil of Hell's Kitchen might have.
“It's okay, here let me help you…” Frank tried to push the hand away- not wanting the help despite knowing he needed it. But after awhile Frank couldn't find the energy to fight his friends gift of water, so he gave in.
Jesus- it was beautiful. Wonderful water poured down his throat and he didn't stop until he finished at least two full bottles worth. Then came the power bars- nd by the time he had finished off all the food David offered him, his fingers were starting to work again.
His brain was starting to work again.
Frank was remembering where he was.
Remembering what had happened.
Shit.
“Karen? Wheres Karen?” He was frantic The only thing he could remember was seeing the idiotic ‘superhero’ walking into that room and making the sign of the cross. That could only mean one thing to a man like that, right?
“She’s-” Oh my god, his Karen was gone.
“Jesus, she's dead!” What was he gonna do without her? What about Soph?
He was gonna have to take little Soph, he couldn't let her go back into the foster care system…. Frank wasn't about to let that happen. She had already lost one mother- who wasn't worth a damn, and now the little girl would have to lose another. But this time the only difference was that this mother- Karen was worth a shit. She was worth every shit. And as much as he knew he needed Karen- it was obvious that Soph needed her too.
“N-” Frank cut him off- knowing he was about to confirm she was lying dead in the other room. He knew David was about to say it- but Frank couldn't bear to hear it. God- what did he do to deserve this? Everyone he loved was taken from him- in the most brutal sense of the word.
“God… What the fuck am I gonna do without her? What am I-”
“Would you shut up for a minute, Frank?” How could David talk to him like that- after everything he's been through, his supposed friend was gonna yell at him and treat him like shit. Good- he deserved it. Frank deserved every ring of hell for dragging two women to their deaths with the shit he was involved in.
“She’s not dead! You asshole, if you'd just listen- Karen is in there….” David jumped up and yelled in his face- frustrated at the man beating himself up from the inside out.
“What?!”
David walked behind Frank to get something Frank couldn't see, “She’s not dead.”
Frank didn't have to hear another word- he shot up to go see her.
And forgot that he hadn't moved for almost two days- which meant his legs were weak for the moment. A terrible moment that he tried to ignore, Frank would ignore it all for her. For Karen- he would crawl over burning hot glass if it meant he could see her, hold her, be with her.
David ran towards him to put his arm over his shoulder- and as humiliating as it was to need the help, he would take it if it meant seeing her.
They were walking towards the room where it had all gone down- when he heard her voice. Her beautiful voice. Her beautifully loud voice. Her beautifully loud, angry voice.
Angry?
She had every right to be angry- but it was the other voice that confused him.
Red’s voice…
She was angry with Red?
“We’re not calling the fucking police!” God damn right they weren’t calling the police.
“Why not? I mean look at you, Karen? Look at what he’s done…”
The walk to the bedroom was only a few feet but it felt like miles.
“I don't need to fucking look, Matt! I was there when it god damn happened!!” He was gonna kill Red- who did he think he was talking too? No one talked to Karen like that!
That's when he walked in the bedroom-
She was covered in blood- gone girl type shit….
Head to toe, all over her face- and beautiful. And alive. Mercifully alive….
She hadn't noticed him in the doorway and was still in the process of telling Red off, “What do you thinks gonna happen, huh? We call the police then tell them my daughter and I were kidnapped by someone who’s supposed to be in custody- then after that lie about how Frank wasn't here! Cause news flash, he's supposed to be fucking dead! Then I'll tell them about how I killed him after he raped me- is that what you want me to do?”
“Well- yeah..”
“Fuck off, are you kidding me? What do you think happens after we get this reported? You think I'm gonna be given any kind of justice? No- You know that, Matt! There's nothing they can do, except make things worse.”
Red was getting closer and closer to the bed- both of them getting more and more heated as the conversation continued, “How could this get any worse? He's dead! ‘They’ as you put it- can't do anything to make this worse!”
“They can't? Bullshit they can't! They will take Sophie- they'll think I can't protect her, or- or say I need a psych eval or something! I won't let them take her from her home, Matt!”
“Maybe you need one…” Karen’s face screwed up in this angry-betrayed-hurt face, and what unnerved him was the change from loud and angry, to calm and deadly.
“Need what, Murdoch?”
“Karen, may- maybe you do need an evaluation. Or at least a therapist- to talk about what just happened.”
The fire in Karen’s eyes was turning to ice, and Frank knew he had to step in, “I don't think I need you, telling me w-”
“Alright, alright- Red get out…. Go check on Soph with David- she should be waking up soon.” Murdoch turned around at the sound of his voice, though he must have known he was there the entire conversation.
It took awhile but finally, both David and Matt left the room- leaving just Frank and Karen.
“Frank….”
That's all she needed to say- he rushed her. Frank didn't care that she was covered in blood- the blood of a former friend. He didn't care that Billy’s dead body was lying crumpled and in a puddle of his own blood in the corner- all he cared about was her.
“Karen-” His voice broke in a pathetic way- in a way that guaranteed he was about to cry. And what was she doing- soothing him. Telling him it was gonna be alright- when it should be him doing it for her.
They didn't have to say any words- right now being in each others arms was enough. They knew in the future it wouldn't be- they would need to talk about it, but for now all they did was love each other.
“Go home, Karen. I'll take care of this…” Her beautiful blue eyes looked up at him in confusion.
“By yourself?” She was obviously deflecting- trying to think about anything other than what happened. It might not be the healthiest thing- but Frank wasn't going to bust her bubble a few hours after. They had plenty of time to talk it over.
“I know some people- who do this kind of thing. It'll be over in no time and i'll be home before you know it.”
She didn't talk for a while, and Frank was worried he had somehow put Karen in a sort of trauma coma- from the mere suggestion that this wasn't some crazy thing that never happened. But that there were people who made their living off of cleaning up situations like this.
“O-okay let- let me just get Sophie and I'll bring her home. I'll-” Karen stood up and he saw red- not just the blood from Billy’s body, but the bruises from Billy’s hands.
“I uh- actually think you should leave her here. With me.”
“Why wouldn't I take her home?”
Frank looked her up and down, knowing Sophie would freak if she ever saw this amount of blood on her Karen, “I think you should go home- maybe i’ll call Curtis. He's a doc, then you can take a shower- I'll bring Soph home, I don't think Soph should see you like this. Shell freak thinkin your hurt.”
She was hurt. Not something either of them could forget- but something they could push under the rug until Karen was ready.
“Oh-okay… I actually think I'm gonna call this nurse friend of Matts- he told me about her and how she’s discreet- no offense but I don't think I want one of your friends checking me over. Especially since he was Billy's friend too- Just too weird I think….”
Frank nodded at her and moved to kiss her forehead, but before he could get there she was out of the room- and he knew. God he knew- this was the beginning of the end. He wouldn't be able to fix anything and then Karen would leave him because she would realize everything that happened here today was his fault. Then he wouldn't get to see Sophie anymore- and she would grow to hate him, because she would wonder why Frank was never around anymore.
He could see it now- the end of all things good.